Impaired neural development in a zebrafish model for Lowe syndrome

Lowe syndrome, which is characterized by defects in the central nervous system, eyes and kidneys, is caused by mutation of the phosphoinositide 5-phosphatase OCRL1. The mechanisms by which loss of OCRL1 leads to the phenotypic manifestations of Lowe syndrome are currently unclear, in part, owing to the lack of an animal model that recapitulates the disease phenotype. Here, we describe a zebrafish model for Lowe syndrome using stable and transient suppression of OCRL1 expression. Deficiency of OCRL1, which is enriched in the brain, leads to neurological defects similar to those reported in Lowe syndrome patients, namely increased susceptibility to heat-induced seizures and cystic brain lesions. In OCRL1-deficient embryos, Akt signalling is reduced and there is both increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation, most strikingly in the neural tissue. Rescue experiments indicate that catalytic activity and binding to the vesicle coat protein clathrin are essential for OCRL1 function in these processes. Our results indicate a novel role for OCRL1 in neural development, and support a model whereby dysregulation of phosphoinositide metabolism and clathrin-mediated membrane traffic leads to the neurological symptoms of Lowe syndrome

Phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of the ARF exchange factor GBF1 in mitosis

Secretory protein trafficking is arrested and the Golgi apparatus fragmented when mammalian cells enter mitosis. These changes are thought to facilitate cell cycle progression and Golgi inheritance, and are brought about through the actions of mitotically active protein kinases. To better understand how the Golgi apparatus undergoes mitotic fragmentation we have sought to identify novel Golgi targets for mitotic kinases. We report here the identification of the ARF exchange factor GBF1 as a Golgi phosphoprotein. GBF1 is phosphorylated by CDK1-cyclin B in mitosis, which results in its dissociation from Golgi membranes. Consistent with a reduced level of GBF1 activity at the Golgi membrane there is a reduction in levels of membrane-associated GTP-bound ARF in mitotic cells. Despite the reduced levels of membrane bound GBF1 and ARF, COPI binding to the Golgi membrane appears unaffected in mitotic cells. Surprisingly, this pool of COPI is dependent upon GBF1 for its recruitment to the membrane, suggesting a low level of GBF1 activity persists in mitosis. We propose that the phosphorylation and membrane dissociation of GBF1 and the consequent reduction in ARF-GTP levels in mitosis are important for changes in Golgi dynamics and possibly other mitotic events mediated through effectors other than the COPI vesicle coat

Measurement of phosphoinositides in the zebrafish Danio rerio

Phosphoinositides represent a minor fraction of the total glycerolipids in cells. Despite the fact that phosphoinositides are present in small quantities, they have crucial roles during cell signaling and in regulating numerous intracellular processes. Measuring changes in the levels of different phosphoinositides in animals is difficult, but it is essential in order to define the important functions of specific members of the phosphoinositide family. Here we detail procedures for measuring phosphoinositides in 2-days-postfertilization (2-d.p.f.) embryos in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Both in vivo radiolabeling (using [(32)P]orthophosphate) followed by thin-layer or high-performance liquid chromatography (TLC or HPLC) analysis and specific in vitro phosphorylation assays (using [(32)P]γATP) permit the quantitative measurement of phosphoinositides. Normalization of both measurements can be achieved by the determination of total lipid phosphate in embryos. All the techniques described are relatively inexpensive and accessible to most laboratories with an interest in studying the effect of gene manipulation on phosphoinositide metabolism in zebrafish. All the procedures described herein will take up to 10 working days.</p

TbG63, a golgin involved in Golgi architecture in Trypanosoma brucei

10.1242/jcs.014324Journal of Cell Science12191538-1546JNCS

The lowe syndrome protein OCRL1 is involved in primary cilia assembly

Lowe syndrome (LS) is a devastating, X-linked genetic disease characterized by the presence of congenital cataracts, profound learning disabilities and renal dysfunction. Unfortunately, children affected with LS often die early of health complications including renal failure. Although this syndrome was first described in the early 1950s and the affected gene, OCRL1, was identified more than 17 years ago, the mechanism by which Ocrl1 defects lead to LS's symptoms remains unknown. Here we show that LS display characteristics of a ciliopathy. Specifically, we found that patients' cells have defects in the assembly of primary cilia and this phenotype was reproduced in cell lines by knock-down of Ocrl1. Importantly, this defect could be rescued by re-introduction of WT Ocrl1 in both patient and Ocrl1 knock-down cells. In addition, a zebrafish animal model of LS exhibited cilia defects and multiple morphological and anatomical abnormalities typically seen in ciliopathies. Mechanistically, we show that Ocrl1 is involved in protein trafficking to the primary cilia in an Rab8-and IPIP27/Ses-dependent manner. Taking into consideration the relevance of the signaling pathways hosted by the primary cilium, our results suggest hitherto unrecognized mechanisms by which Ocrl1 deficiency may contribute to the phenotypic characteristics of LS. This conceptual change in our understanding of the disease etiology may provide an alternative avenue for the development of therapies

Electron microscopy analysis of endocytic compartments in OCRL1 deficient pronephros.

<p>A. Block face scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of transverse sections through the zebrafish proximal pronephric tubule of wild-type and <i>ocrl^-/-</i> mutant 72 hpf embryos. The apical membrane, identified by numerous microvilli, lines the central lumen of the pronephric tubule. Vacuolar endosomes are false coloured in green. B and D. Block face SEM showing apical endocytic vesicles at the apical pole of pronephric proximal tubule cells (false coloured in orange in top row) (B) and vacuolar endosomes (false coloured in green in top row) (D). C and E. Quantification of endocytic compartments. Numbers of apical endocytic vesicles were counted per region of interest (C), and vacuolar endosome number, size and total area were counted per entire section (E). Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed using the unpaired t-test. ***p < 0.0001. Scale bars represent 5 μm (A), 2 μm (D) or 1 μm (B).</p

Megalin transcript and protein analysis in OCRL1-deficient zebrafish embryos.

<p>A. Transverse confocal images of the proximal pronephric region of wild-type (WT) and <i>ocrl^-/-</i> mutant 72 hpf embryos labelled with anti-megalin antibodies. The white dashed lines indicate the outline of pronephric tubules. Arrowheads indicate sub-apical punctate and vacuolar megalin staining. B. Transverse confocal images of the proximal pronephric region of 72 hpf <i>ocrl^-/-</i> embryos labelled with antibodies to megalin (green in left panel, red in right panel) and EEA1 (red) or GFP (gfp-, green) to detect ectopically expressed Rab5 or Rab7. mApple (a-) tagged Rab11 is in red. Arrowheads indicate colocalisation. C. Quantification of the relative fluorescence levels of megalin in confocal transverse sections of the indicated embryo types. D. Western blot of 72 hpf wild-type (WT) or <i>ocrl^-/-</i> embryos with antibodies to megalin and tubulin. Three equivalent samples for genotype are analyzed. E. In situ hybridisation of megalin transcript in 48 hpf (top) and 72 hpf (bottom) wild-type (WT) or <i>ocrl^-/-</i> embryos. F. Quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR) of megalin transcript levels in wild type and <i>ocrl^-/-</i> embryos at 72 hpf. Data are presented as the mean ± SD. Statistical analysis was performed using the unpaired t-test. ***p < 0.0001. Scale bars in A, B and E represent 10, 2 and 20 μm respectively.</p